208. Is the Grass Greener? Pilgrims and a small frog along the ley lines

Friday 8 September 2023

I met some pilgrims walking along our road yesterday afternoon. From what I could gather, they set off from Isle of White to COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021 and are now on their way back. I have no idea what they did in the two years since then. I saw a few people scattered alongside the road (they seemed scattered) as Chris drove along. I got off along the road in the next county, Dumfries and Galloway, and walked back. One of their group emerged from trees to the side of the road, having found a place to set up camp in trees by a small loch. It was surreal seeing her as well as a few other people around. I have never passed a single walker when I’ve been on that stretch of road. We walked along chatting for a few hundred metres. It took them six weeks to get up to Scotland. It transpires they are following ley lines down the country and putting on plays as they go. It felt kind of Shakespearean. I like the idea that this area is full of ley lines, it makes sense; there is a really good feel to the area and there are a lot of sacred places around.

I enjoyed the walk, particularly as it was early evening and not quite as humid as it had been all day, though still humid and still grey. I also spotted a few very small frogs, though something so small sitting on the road doesn’t bode well for life expectancy.

Chris is now in London ahead of a work trip overseas. Within less than an hour of getting back from where he dropped me off, I got started on making changes. I pretty much always do this, move stuff around, paint or whatever, particularly when I’m going to be home alone and then going away myself, which I am on Tuesday. I have started tidying the pantry, which had become a bit of a dumping ground. I have also marked out a stripe that I’m going to make across the kitchen ceiling, in an exaggerated attempt to conceal the hatch and mismatched paint we had to have put into the ceiling shortly after moving in after the shower disconnected and water poured through one of the ceiling lights. The painting will be at least started tomorrow when Mitch is working at the house. I figure that if I had some kind of ceiling-painting incident, it’d be best to do it while someone was around.

Apparently, it’s going to be hot, sunny and not as humid today. I’m very much seeing this as a short hurrah before wintery weather kicks in up here.